How to Delete Multiple Posts on Instagram

Cleaning up your Instagram grid doesn’t have to mean spending hours deleting old photos one by one. If you’re getting ready for a rebrand, pivoting your content strategy, or just want to wipe the slate clean, Instagram has a built-in feature to help you bulk-manage your content. This guide will walk you through exactly how to delete multiple posts on Instagram safely and quickly, explore whether archiving might be a better choice, and offer some strategic advice for curating a feed you’re proud of.

Why Bother Cleaning Up Your Instagram Grid?

Before jumping into the “how,” it’s worth understanding the “why.” Mass-deleting posts isn’t just about tidiness, it’s a powerful strategic move for creators and brands. A curated, intentional grid communicates professionalism and a clear vision. If you find your feed is a chaotic mix of old eras and new ideas, a cleanup might be exactly what you need.

Common Reasons for a Grid Refresh:

• You’re Undergoing a Rebrand: If you have a new logo, new brand colors, or a completely new business direction, old posts can create a confusing brand image. Removing content that reflects your old identity makes way for your new one. Imagine a fitness coach who pivots to mindful wellness, old posts showing intense workout regimens might conflict with their new message of calm and balance.
• Your Niche or Focus Has Changed: Many accounts evolve over time. Maybe you started as a personal blog but are now a professional consultant. Or perhaps you were a food blogger who now focuses exclusively on vegan recipes. Removing posts that no longer align with your current niche helps your ideal audience instantly understand what you’re all about.
• You Want to Improve Your Feed's Aesthetic: The "Instagram aesthetic" is still a powerful branding tool. If your early posts were low-quality iPhone 4 photos, poorly edited, or just don't match the high-quality look you're going for now, removing them can instantly elevate your entire profile. Consistency is attractive, and a cleanup helps you achieve that.
• Removing Outdated Information or Promotions: Your grid might be full of past sales, expired event details, or old giveaways. While these were valuable at the time, they now serve as digital clutter. Clearing them out ensures that anyone visiting your profile for the first time sees only relevant, current information.

To Delete or To Archive? A Critical Distinction

Instagram gives you two options for removing posts from your public grid: deleting and archiving. They sound similar, but their functions are worlds apart. Choosing the right one depends entirely on your end goal, and most of the time, archiving is the smarter move.

When to Archive Your Posts

Think of archiving as moving a post into a private vault that only you can see. The post disappears from your public profile grid, but it’s not gone forever.

Benefits of Archiving:

• It's Completely Reversible: If you change your mind later, you can restore an archived post to its original spot on your grid with just a few taps. It will reappear in its chronological place, as if it never left.
• You Keep All Engagement Data: This is the biggest advantage for marketers and businesses. When you archive a post, you preserve all its likes, comments, shares, and saves. This data remains tied to your account's overall performance metrics. For Instagram's algorithm, the engagement on those posts still "counts," which is a huge benefit.
• Perfect for Temporary Removals: Archiving works well for seasonal content (like holiday promotions a creator might want to reuse next year), posts that are part of a temporary campaign aesthetic, or content you’re just not sure about getting rid of completely.

Basically, you should archive any post that you might want to see again or one that performed well and has valuable engagement data attached to it.

When to Permanently Delete Your Posts

Deleting, on the other hand, is a permanent action. Once a post is gone, it’s gone for good (after a 30-day "Recently Deleted" period where you can still restore it). After that window, there’s no getting it back.

When Deleting Is the Right Choice:

• The Content Is Genuinely Off-Brand or Embarrassing: If a post represents a value system, partnership, or aesthetic that you fundamentally no longer align with, permanent deletion might be the right move.
• Duplicate, Low-Quality, or Mistake Posts: We’ve all posted a typo, a blurry photo, or uploaded the same image twice by accident. These are perfect candidates for deletion because they offer no value and you’ll never need them again.
• Legal or Privacy Concerns: If a post contains information you’re no longer comfortable sharing or features someone who has asked to be removed, deleting it is the responsible thing to do.

The general rule is simple: archive first, delete only when you’re 100% certain. You'll rarely regret archiving something, but you can’t undo a permanent deletion after 30 days.

How to Delete or Archive Multiple Posts on Instagram: The Step-by-Step Guide

Instagram finally made it easy to manage posts in bulk right from the app. You don’t need any sketchy third-party tools to do this. The feature is located in a section called "Your activity."

Finding and Using the Bulk-Manage Feature

Follow these steps to access the tool and start cleaning up your feed, Reels tabs, and video tabs.

1. Go to Your Profile: Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner to navigate to your main profile page.
2. Open the Menu: Tap the hamburger menu icon (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Select "Your activity": A menu will pop up. Find and tap on "Your activity." This is your central hub for managing all your content and interactions on the platform.
4. Tap "Photos and videos": In the "Your activity" menu, you’ll see several options. Look for the "Content You've Shared" section and tap on "Photos and videos."
5. Choose the Content Type: From here, you can select which type of content you want to manage: Posts, Reels, or Video. Let's start with Posts. Tap “Posts.”
6. Enter Selection Mode: You'll now see a grid of all your posts, sorted from newest to oldest by default. In the top-right corner, tap the blue “Select” button. This switches the screen into bulk-management mode, and you’ll see small circles appear on each post's thumbnail.
7. Select Your Posts: Simply tap on the thumbnail of every post you want to either archive or delete. A blue checkmark will appear inside the circle to confirm your selection. You can scroll through your entire history and select up to 100 posts at a time.
8. Choose Your Action: Archive or Delete: Once you've selected all the desired posts, look at the bottom of the screen. You will see two options: “Archive” and “Delete.”
   • Tap Archive to move the selected posts to your private archive.
   • Tap Delete to permanently remove them. A pop-up will appear warning you that the action is permanent after 30 days. Confirm your choice.

That’s it! You can repeat this process for your Reels and Videos tab as well by going back to the "Photos and videos" section and choosing a different content type. This native tool is a game-changer for efficient grid management.

Third-Party Apps: A Word of Caution

A quick search on the app store or Google will show dozens of third-party apps promising to "mass delete Instagram posts instantly." While tempting, using these apps is incredibly risky. Most of these services require you to log in with your Instagram username and password, which essentially hands over control of your account to an unknown developer.

The Risks of Using Unauthorized Apps:

• Security Breaches: Giving away your password is never a good idea. It makes your account vulnerable to being hacked, used for spam, or having your personal data stolen.
• Violating Instagram’s Terms of Service: Instagram’s official policy prohibits the use of automated tools that access its API in unauthorized ways. Using these apps can get your account flagged.
• Getting Shadowbanned or Temporarily Suspended: Instagram's algorithm is designed to detect inauthentic activity. When a third-party app performs hundreds of actions (like deleting photos) in a very short amount of time, it can trigger a red flag. This can lead to a temporary block on your account's actions or a "shadowban" where your content suffers from reduced reach.

There's simply no reason to take these risks when Instagram now provides a safe, effective, and built-in tool to accomplish the same goal.

Beyond Deleting: A Strategic Approach to Curation

Deleting is just one part of the process. The real goal is to create a feed that truly represents your brand. A grid refresh is an opportunity to be deliberate about what you share going forward.

Plan Your New Feed Before You Erase the Old One

Your Instagram account tells a story. Before you go on a deleting spree, think about the new story you want to tell.

• Define Your Content Pillars: What are the 3-5 key topics you will consistently talk about? Writing these down keeps your content focused and prevents your grid from becoming cluttered again.
• Establish a Visual Mood Board: Consider your brand colors, font choices, photography style, and overall vibe. Will it be minimalist? Vivid and energetic? Soft and serene? Having a clear visual direction ensures that every new post you create contributes to a cohesive, professional look.
• Start with a Content Calendar: Plan out your next 9-12 posts. This allows you to visualize what your "new" grid will look like as you start publishing again. When you post with intention, you eliminate the guesswork and ensure your grid starts off strong after the cleanup.

Treating this as a strategic refresh rather than just a cleanup will set you up for long-term success. You’re not just removing the old, you’re making thoughtful space for the new.

Final Thoughts

Cleaning up your Instagram no longer requires tedious, one-by-one deletions. Using Instagram's built-in "Your activity" feature, you can quickly and safely archive or delete multiple photos, Reels, and videos. Remember to lean on archiving whenever possible to preserve your hard-earned engagement and give yourself the flexibility to restore content down the road.

Once you’ve cleaned up your content history, the focus turns to building a solid future. That transition is exactly why we built Postbase. After curating your grid, our visual calendar helps you plan and schedule what comes next, ensuring your new aesthetic stays consistent across all your social platforms. You can create content once, schedule it everywhere, and get a clear view of your entire strategy so you can build a more intentional brand without ever getting overwhelmed.